Astronomy Share-a-thon 66 Files

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Finding Polaris
Once you are able to identify the North Star, you will be able to find North. Simply trace a line from the star to the horizon, and that is North. To your right is East, straight behind you is South, and to your left is West.

Ellipses
The earth revolves around the sun in an orbit which is a special geometric figure called an ellipse. An ellipse has two "center points". Each one is called a focus. The Sun is not in the exact middle of the earth's orbit.

Shadow Lab
The attached Shadow Lab works well for a 40 minute class period. On the Shadow Lab Report Sheet, you will need to draw a sun path for each diagram and label the five positions.